Football

ISL 2023-24: It was a win-or-die game for us – Staikos Vergetis after win against NorthEast United

Punjab FC head coach Staikos Vergetis believes it was a must-win game for them against NorthEast United in the 18th match week of the ongoing Indian Super League at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Thursday. The Shers registered a 1-0 win against the Highlanders to claim three crucial points.

After a goalless first half, Wilmar Jordan scored through a penalty in the 63rd minute to give a decisive lead to his team.

“I believe it was the type of game where the deciding factor was which team could score the goal to be the winner. We succeeded in scoring the goal, and we took one important victory,” Vergetis shared in the post-match press conference.

The Greek manager lauded his players for giving their best on the pitch and doing a fine job.

“Today, we played a game that was a win-or-die situation for us; even though I tried not to convey full anxiety to them (the players), but I think they had.”

Punjab FC had 48% possession and took three shots on target against the opposition.

While quizzed about his players’ performance, Vergetis explained,“Regarding our performance, I would like our team to keep more possession in our favour.”

“We were losing the ball easily in some periods of the game. This created problems for us because it forced us into defensive roles most of the time. We could have been calmer on the ball. It was due to the tiredness of the players who had been playing consecutive games,” he continued.

Staikos asked his forwards to play closely together and leave Talal on the sides to widen the gap but feels the plan didn’t work properly.

“We instructed our two forwards to play closely together and leave Talal on the sides to create superiorities and receive balls out wide. I don’t think it worked well.”

“We attempted to free up Talal from the central space because, upon analyzing him (Talal), opponents had figured out how to confront him. However, I don’t believe our plan worked as effectively as we had hoped,” he concluded.

Punjab FC will next take on FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi on Monday.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024